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Full of wrath, his threatening breath, Z185

Introduction

The author of ‘Full of wrath, his threatening breath’, the Cambridge-educated preacher Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) was a chaplain to Charles I who survived capture during the Civil War. He was forced to retire to Wales where he wrote most of his poetry, some books of sermons, a manual of daily prayers and a famous argument for toleration. Taylor’s fortunes rose at the Restoration and he was made Bishop of Down and Connor. His literary style was usually colourful, as is demonstrated by this account of the conversion of St Paul on the road to Damascus.

Purcell set three of Taylor’s poems, revelling in their vivid language and sentiments and countering their strong texts by adding his own extraordinary harmonic twists and turns. The continuo rhythmically tramp the road to Damascus whilst Saul is ‘belching nought but chains and death’: Purcell illustrates the light that blinds him with a series of extraordinarily harmonised melismas on ‘glorious’. The inexorable progress of the continuo is briefly halted at ‘On his amazed eyes it night did fling’ before Saul continues his journey, now converted from ‘a child of wrath’ to become a ‘vessel full of glory’. The setting closes with a prayer that God should ‘curb us in our dark and sinful way’, as we ‘down horrid precipices run’. Purcell sets ‘down’ with especial emphasis.

'It is hard to speak too highly of this enterprise … much enjoyment to be had' (Gramophone)'the performances from The King’s Consort and its Choir, the Choir of New College and a starry line-up of soloists have such qualities of concentratio ...» More

Full of wrath, his threatening breath
Belching nought but chains and death,
Saul was arrested in his way
By a voice and light
That if a thousand days
Should join their rays
To beautify a day
It would not show so glorious and so bright.
On his amazed eyes it light did fling,
That day might break within,
And by these beams of faith
Make him of a child of wrath
Become a vessel full of glory.
Lord, curb us in our dark and sinful way,
We humbly pray,
When we down horrid precipices run
With feet that thirst to be undone,
That this may be our story.